The IMPORTED ENGLISH Orpington Thread

[Auntiejessi3]

Oh dear. Can't be as bad as me.

Whatcha got? Take a load off

 

[ColtHandorf]

Bobcat issues...

I think total I've lost:

- 3 Bourbon Red Turkey hens
- 1 Khaki Campbell hen
- 2 Lilac Muscovy hens
- 1 Silver-laced/Recessive White Orpington rooster (my oldest)
- 5 Recessive White Orpington hens
- 12 Recessive White Orpington pullets
- 2 Recessive White Orpington cockerels
- 2 Gold-laced Orpington pullets
- 1 F2 Blue-silver-laced pullet (perfectly marked of course)
- 3-4 BBS Orpingtons

If I ever see her she's dead. I'll throttle her with my bare hands if I have to.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Bobcat issues...

I think total I've lost:

- 3 Bourbon Red Turkey hens
- 1 Khaki Campbell hen
- 2 Lilac Muscovy hens
- 1 Silver-laced/Recessive White Orpington rooster (my oldest)
- 5 Recessive White Orpington hens
- 12 Recessive White Orpington pullets
- 2 Recessive White Orpington cockerels
- 2 Gold-laced Orpington pullets
- 1 F2 Blue-silver-laced pullet (perfectly marked of course)
- 3-4 BBS Orpingtons

If I ever see her she's dead. I'll throttle her with my bare hands if I have to.

Damn! I'm sorry! I haven't lost any of my ladies since the 1 BO I lost in July due to a coyote and I shot it, so I feel ya, just not to that extent. I'm dealing with a neighbors dog at our new property that we can't even move into yet because the city hasn't done our sewer tap and it's been 6 weeks. This damn dog has been chewing the moister barrier under our home when he's not killing baby chicks that the neighbor down behind me has and leaving them in my yard, smdh...I told that girl after I put game cams up that I will be bringing my gun whenever we come to work on the property and if that dog comes in our yard I'm going to shoot it and then file a civil suit for damages with the video from the game cams. Haven't seen the dog for about a week.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Damn! I'm sorry! I haven't lost any of my ladies since the 1 BO I lost in July due to a coyote and I shot it, so I feel ya, just not to that extent. I'm dealing with a neighbors dog at our new property that we can't even move into yet because the city hasn't done our sewer tap and it's been 6 weeks. This damn dog has been chewing the moister barrier under our home when he's not killing baby chicks that the neighbor down behind me has and leaving them in my yard, smdh...I told that girl after I put game cams up that I will be bringing my gun whenever we come to work on the property and if that dog comes in our yard I'm going to shoot it and then file a civil suit for damages with the video from the game cams. Haven't seen the dog for about a week.

It's been awful. I haven't even been hatching it's been so hot and I've been so frustrated.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

It's been awful. I haven't even been hatching it's been so hot and I've been so frustrated.

What's the plan? Is she just evading all your attempts of capture?

 

[Faraday40]

@ColtHandorf

Wow! That's a lot of losses. I can't imagine.

 

[ColtHandorf]

What's the plan? Is she just evading all your attempts of capture?

Yep. I'm currently rebuilding all of my breeding pens to be completely enclosed. All the birds are locked in the barn 24/7 now. I've waited up with a rifle overnight several times and she never makes an appearance. Any time she got something after I realized what was going on, it was an error on my part by being out later than the lock-up time, or the one time I forgot, or something. The last time she fell through the roof of a pen. I'd ziptied it for the time being and her weight snapped them and she fell in and killed several birds. I can't find anyone to hunt or trap her, so I guess building chicken prisons is the next best thing.

@ColtHandorf

Wow! That's a lot of losses. I can't imagine.

It has been awful. I'm planning on hatching all fall/winter to have birds for the spring. It's going to be the biggest pain to keep up with the bloodlines and crosses to get the whites and stuff back.

 

[Faraday40]

A few pullets have started to lay, but all my hens are molting. Walking "pin cushions" with cascading trails of feathers blowing off their bodies. My serama number really needs to go down. (Technically, my general chicken number needs to go down before winter.) Weather has been mostly hot & dry. It's been more comfortable recently

We've still got 3 turkeys. They're a love-hate relationship. They can be bullies to the chickens and a little intimidating. They gobble up whatever amount of feed I put out. Even with clipped wings, they can hop fences, and I caught one in my garden this morning - eating my butternut squash!!!! However, I have seen them chase off hawks. One even gave me the evil eye when I made a hen squawk. (Had to pick up a stick- just in case)

The pecking order here is messed up and confusing. The turkeys were raised by a serama mama and still desire to be near her. They spend much of their day simply hanging out by her tractor. The turkeys sleep with the hens at night and their serama mama is often in the center of her giant bodyguards. My SLO rooster is currently separated in a breeding group, so the lav orp roo is king in the yard - during the day. Turkeys stay clear of him. (Except for one Sebright hen - named Trouble - who's queen and can dominate. Every bird avoids an entanglement with Trouble.) When in their night-time rooster box, my SLO rooster will bully the lav orp roo. However my daughter's tiny silkied serama has a Napoleon complex. He's normally a spoiled, house chicken, so he has no idea how to play nice with other roosters. The little guy attacked the mature SLO roo and sent him running. Poor SLO had no idea why a small "chick" was attacking. Thankfully, he knows better than to peck at chicks and hens, so all he could do run away. Funny but also sad to know I can never allow them to be together.

 

[Faraday40]

@ColtHandorf
Do you still have bantams? Were they spared from the attacks?

 

[ColtHandorf]

@ColtHandorf
Do you still have bantams? Were they spared from the attacks?

We lost a few toes from a raccoon that preferred toes to spilled chicken feed. But I did put a bullet in that one. So I've got a wee flock of Seramas, a reverse trio of Call ducks, a quad of Lemon Blue Bantam Cochins that aren't producing fertile eggs, and nine Bantam Orpingtons (Chocolate, Mauve, and Blue?). Those were all in super-secure pens that she's never messed with. I'm a bit disappointed with the Orps. Ended up with six cockerels and three pullets. All but one cockerel has leakage and some of them are so leaky they have more incorrect feathers than correct ones. And one of the pullets is leaky too.